Police forces across England and Wales recorded 502,011 shoplifting offences in 2025-26, a 5% fall on the previous year but still above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Home Office. Food retailers still face significant challenges in stemming the tide of crime, but the Co-op’s latest tech trial may have had a breakthrough.
Co-op has revealed that a trial of a new crime reporting system with Devon and Cornwall Police has almost doubled the proportion of retail crimes solved. Figures from the force also show how heavily shop theft is concentrated among repeat offenders.
According to Devon and Cornwall Police, 90% of identified shop theft offenders are repeat offenders. Just 50 individuals account for around a quarter of all shop theft offences across the force area, often with more than 100 known offences each.
Crimes reported through the platform, called SentrySIS, achieved a solve rate of almost 60%, compared with 30.6% for shop theft reported through traditional channels.
Under the system, store staff upload incident details, CCTV, photographs and impact statements directly. This allows police to record and allocate a crime in as little as 30 minutes, a process that could take up to seven days. Because officers no longer need to go back to the retailer for evidence, the average time taken to complete an investigation and assign an outcome fell from 54 days to 35.
The platform also helps police link multiple offences to the same individual, building stronger cases against prolific thieves. Following the trial, it is now being activated in all Co-op stores in Devon and Cornwall, and discussions are under way with other police forces.
The results come as Co-op reports a fall in crime across its own estate. Overall retail crime is down almost 20% year on year, incidents of anti-social behaviour and verbal abuse have fallen by 35%, and physical assaults have dropped by double digits. The retailer expects its lowest crime levels since the pandemic, but warned that they remain double pre-pandemic levels following the surge in shop crime at the start of the decade.
Paul Gerrard, Co-op’s director of campaigns, public affairs and policy, said:
“The reduction in retail crime at Co-op is very welcome, but these are green shoots with crime levels remaining higher than before the pandemic… The fact that such a high proportion of crimes are carried out by repeat and prolific offenders highlights why early intervention is so important – every successful investigation has the potential to prevent many future offences from blighting our high streets and local communities.”
Chris Chaloner, business crime sergeant for Devon and Cornwall Police, said:
“Crucially, this approach helps us to link crimes and identify and target those prolific offenders who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime. We know that a relatively small number of individuals commit a large volume of offences. By working closely with retailers, building effective partnership and receiving high-quality evidence we can take earlier action, secure more charges and achieve better outcomes for our high streets and communities.”
